Wind tower possible at Chadron school.
by Lorrie Miller
At the March 8 Board Meeting, board members will hear a presentation about wind energy and discuss the possibility of placing a wind tower on one of the Chadron School campuses.
Dan McGuire, NREL Nebraska Facilitator of the Wind for Schools program, will tour the six campus sites to determine the most feasible area for a wind tower. He will also meet with area utility companies to establish a working relationship for technical assistance. At the Board meeting, he will report his findings and propose the building of a small wind tower to produce a small amount of energy.
Energy production is not the primary purpose of having the tower. The main purpose is to expose students to the concept of wind energy and renewable energy in general. Science and math students can observe and measure wind speed and power output. Students may gain an interest in wind energy and go on to college to study engineering in the growing wind industry.
Teachers have always said, “We are educating students for an unknown future,” and now that we have a glimpse of the future, we need to educate students in this field.
